The Revolutionary Gospel of Jesus Christ

[Robert Pate]

The Gospel is revolutionary because it changes lives. The Holy Spirit is present in the preaching of the Gospel. On the day of Pentecost Peter preached the Gospel and 8,000 Jews were converted to Christ, Acts 2:41 and Acts 4:4. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is what gave birth to the New Testament church. After Pentecost the apostles went everywhere preaching Jesus.

What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the work that Jesus did in our name and on our behalf. God requires two things for the salvation of fallen man. 1. A life of perfect obedience according to God's Holy Law. 2. A perfect atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Jesus in our name and on our behalf, has victoriously met both of these requirements. This is why Paul said, "You are complete in him" Colossians 2:10. This is why salvation is by grace through faith, plus nothing.

Nothing has had more of an effect upon humanity than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Millions and millions of people have become Christians by hearing and believing the Gospel. This is why Paul said, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17. Which is the Gospel. In the Gospel we hear that Jesus fulfilled the law for us, Matthew 5:17-18. In the Gospel we hear that Jesus atoned for our sins and the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2.

Is there anything better to hear and believe than this? Paul said to the Ephesians, "In whom you trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" Ephesians 1:13. God used Paul to spread the Gospel to all the world. Even today there are still memorials to Paul in towns up along the northern part of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

[Robert Pate]

The Gospel is revolutionary because it changes lives. The Holy Spirit is present in the preaching of the Gospel. On the day of Pentecost Peter preached the Gospel and 8,000 Jews were converted to Christ, Acts 2:41 and Acts 4:4. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is what gave birth to the New Testament church. After Pentecost the apostles went everywhere preaching Jesus.

What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the work that Jesus did in our name and on our behalf. God requires two things for the salvation of fallen man. 1. A life of perfect obedience according to God's Holy Law. 2. A perfect atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Jesus in our name and on our behalf, has victoriously met both of these requirements. This is why Paul said, "You are complete in him" Colossians 2:10. This is why salvation is by grace through faith, plus nothing.

Nothing has had more of an effect upon humanity than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Millions and millions of people have become Christians by hearing and believing the Gospel. This is why Paul said, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17. Which is the Gospel. In the Gospel we hear that Jesus fulfilled the law for us, Matthew 5:17-18. In the Gospel we hear that Jesus atoned for our sins and the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2.

Is there anything better to hear and believe than this? Paul said to the Ephesians, "In whom you trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" Ephesians 1:13. God used Paul to spread the Gospel to all the world. Even today there are still memorials to Paul in towns up along the northern part of the Mediterranean Sea.

Paul said, "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes" Romans 1:16. To everyone that believes the Gospel. To believe the Gospel one must believe that Jesus has fulfilled all of the demands of God's law in their name and on their behalf. To believe the Gospel one must believe that Jesus has atoned for their sins and the sins of the whole world. To believe the Gospel one must believe that because of the doing and the dying of Jesus they are complete "In Christ" Colossians 2:10. This means that Christ and Christ alone is the means of their salvation and that the law, their religion, or whatever is worthless.

 

[Robert Pate]

The title of this article is a quote from my favorite theologian and mentor Robert D. Brinsmead.

A good example of religion without faith is the Pharisees. The Pharisees did not have faith in God, nor did they have faith in Christ. What they had faith in was their religion, which was themselves. They sincerely believed that they could keep the Mosiac law. The Mosiac law is the nature and the character of God, so they were trying to be like God instead of trusting in him. They could never come to grips with the fact that they were sinners in desperate need of a savior. God sent them a savior and what did they do? They crucified him.

In the 23rd Chapter of Matthew Jesus referred to the Pharisees as hypocrites seven times, besides calling them a number of other things. My definition of religion is, "Man's preoccupation with his own spirituality, which is himself". Religious people have no to little interest in Christ and his Gospel, they are preoccupied with their religion. Jesus said, "Many will say to me on that day (judgement day) Lord, Lord, didn't we?" Matthew 7:21-23. They apparently thought that it was all about them and their religion.

The Gospel is not about us, the Gospel is about Jesus Christ. The Gospel is totally and completely outside of us, it took place over 2,000 years ago before we were born. "God was in Christ reconciling us and the world unto himself" 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. Jesus has ALREADY reconciled us and the world unto God. We are born reconciled unto God, but nothing is ours until it is received by faith, mainly faith in Christ and his Gospel. The Gospel is a past historical event in which we did not participate.

We become saved when we accept what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Faith says, "Mine is the living, doing and dying of Jesus on my behalf. In him I have been justified, sanctified and redeemed and now stand before God as perfect and complete in him" Colossians 2:10. No religion needed.